Parking Food and Lodging

Lobby Day 2026

Parking, Dining, Lodging

Parking

Getting to Lobby Day is half the battle. But once you get to Richmond, you'll need to know where to park, where to eat, and where to sleep if you come the day before. We'll do our best to point you in the right direction!

Street parking is free, as Lobby Day always falls on Martin Luther King Day. We do this because it is the beginning of the legislative session. Many people have that day off work, but the General Assembly conducts business as usual that day.

There are also numerous parking garages open that day. Please be aware that firearms are banned by law in state parking garages, so if you are leaving your EDC pistol locked in your car, please select an alternate parking option.  Brandon Howard is offering a gun check service again this year.  Please do not leave firearms or valuables in an unlocked vehicle. Pocket knives with blades under 3 inches in length are allowed inside the General Assembly Building (GAB) as of the time of this writing. We'll let you know if that changes.

Dining

Many restaurants around Capitol Square welcome VCDL members, and look forward to our visits on Lobby Day. Some of the more notable establishments, in no particular order, are Capital Ale House, Jo Jo's Pizza and Rueger's in the Commonwealth Hotel. There are many more. Click the map image for an interactive map link.

For those who are arriving in Richmond on Sunday, and for those who live in the area, we hold a Pre-Lobby Day Dinner at a local restaurant. It's an excellent opportunity for some socialization, and to strategize about conversations with our elected representatives.



Lodging

Many of you will be coming in on Sunday so that you can be ready bright and early to lobby for your rights. Here's a map to various hotels in the area. We do not have any affiliation, nor have we reserved any blocks of rooms.

You can save a little money by staying outside of Richmond proper. Simply expand the map and look for options along your route. Richmond doesn't have the traffic that areas like Northern Virginia or Tidewater has, but we can have some rush hour backups on occasion.

Again, if you are staying overnight on Sunday, please consider joining us for our Pre-Lobby Day Dinner. We look forward to seeing you!